Once you get a taste of success, it's a hard thing to turn down.

The words of Scottie Pippen — “Once you get a taste of success, it’s a hard thing to turn down.” — are not only the reflection of a champion of the basketball court, but the confession of a truth that has echoed through every age. Success, once tasted, is like a fire upon the tongue: it awakens desire, sharpens hunger, and makes the spirit unwilling to return to a life without it. For when a man has walked upon the summit, the valleys no longer satisfy.

The ancients knew this well. Alexander the Great, after conquering Persia, wept because no more worlds remained to conquer. The victories he had claimed were not enough to quench the thirst awakened by triumph. For as Pippen declares, the taste of success is not gentle but intoxicating, and once a man drinks of it, he cannot easily turn away. Even Caesar, after crossing the Rubicon, pressed onward not for need, but because victory had already lodged itself in his heart, demanding more.

Pippen himself knew this truth on the court beside Michael Jordan, where championships became not just achievements but expectations. Once the Chicago Bulls had risen to glory, the thought of falling back into mediocrity became unthinkable. Every game, every season, was measured against the sweetness of that triumph, and the hunger for more became a force of its own. This is the double-edged nature of success: it inspires greatness, but it also binds the soul to endless striving.

Consider also the story of Thomas Edison, who after inventing the phonograph was already reaching for the light bulb. One victory pushed him to the next, and one discovery kindled the desire for another. Success does not make men idle; it compels them, for they have tasted the fruit of achievement and know how sweet it is. Without it, life feels dull, and so they climb again, even at great cost.

Yet within Pippen’s words lies both inspiration and warning. For though the taste of success is sweet, it can enslave. Many have lost peace, health, even honor, because they could not turn away from chasing more victories. The conqueror may become restless, the artist consumed, the leader blinded. Thus, we must learn not only to pursue success, but to master our hunger for it, lest the sweetness turn to bitterness.

The lesson, therefore, is clear: let success inspire you, but do not let it enslave you. When you taste victory, allow it to remind you of your strength, your potential, your calling — but do not let it become your only food. Balance triumph with gratitude, and let ambition be tempered by wisdom. The champion is not only he who wins, but he who knows how to live after winning.

Practical action lies before us: when you succeed, rejoice, but also reflect. Ask yourself — will the pursuit of the next victory build me, or consume me? Let success sharpen your will, but let humility guard your heart. Work for the next summit, but cherish also the path beneath your feet. In this way, you will taste success without being devoured by it.

Thus, O seeker, heed Pippen’s wisdom. Know that once you taste success, you will crave more — and that craving can drive you to greatness, but only if you learn to master it. For victory is a powerful wine, and he who drinks without discipline will stumble. But he who drinks with wisdom will rise again and again, stronger with each triumph, yet never a slave to his hunger.